Estoril Exclusive Test Day Marks Premium Start to Historic Racing Season
- há 9 horas
- 6 min de leitura
The 2026 Race Ready season got off to a promising start with the eighth edition of the Estoril Exclusive Test Day — a unique opportunity for drivers and historic machinery to shake down ahead of the upcoming racing campaign, or simply to dust off private collections and return them to their natural habitat: the circuit.
In a relaxed yet exclusive setting, alongside Touring Cars and GT machinery, even Formula 1 cars made a return to Portugal, adding further variety and appeal across two days in which the golden era of motorsport once again came to life on the tarmac of the Estoril Circuit on 20–21 March.
For Diogo Ferrão, CEO of Race Ready and promoter of the event: “It was two days where drivers and cars came together once more to celebrate their passion for the sport in a more private and exclusive environment. These days offer the best of both worlds: the chance to enjoy the track almost as if you had it to yourself, without the risk and hassle of hiring a circuit independently and dealing with last-minute cancellations from friends, among other issues. We’ll be back in 2027.”
F1 Return to Portugal
With the strongly international flavour of the Estoril Exclusive Test Day, the Estoril Circuit welcomed several overseas teams who took advantage of the two days of track action to fine-tune their machinery and put some of the most iconic Formula 1 cars of past eras through their paces, in preparation for the Estoril Classics, making the most of the circuit’s unique characteristics and particularly favourable weather conditions.
The unmistakable soundtrack of these true motorsport icons once again echoed around the former home of the Portuguese Grand Prix, delivering a rare spectacle even in what was, after all, just a test event. On track were a McLaren MP4/1 ex-Niki Lauda, a Williams FW07 ex-Alan Jones, an Arrows A4, a March 761 and a Tyrrell 011 — all cars that defined a golden era of Formula 1 and offered a tantalising preview of the acclaimed Classic GP, the headline act of the Estoril Classics, scheduled for this coming September.
But the test sessions were not limited to historic single-seaters from the pinnacle of the sport. A number of sportscars also took to the track, making the most of the running with no competitive pressure, in a relaxed yet history-laden atmosphere. Among them was Carlos Barbot, who had the opportunity to test his IMSA-born Lola T600 on a circuit for the first time — a pioneering model in the use of ground effect in endurance prototypes. Alongside the Eric Broadley-designed car, a PRC — an open Italian prototype built by Pedrazza Racing Cars — was also out on track.
For collectors and beyond
With the number of cars on track limited to just twenty per session, several collectors once again seized the opportunity to bring some of their competition machinery out of the garage and return it to the environment for which it was created. Away from the pressures of race weekends, these machines from a bygone era came back to life, allowing their owners to savour rare moments behind the wheel of true pieces of motorsport history.
Hipólito Pires, still regarded by many as the “father of the Portaro” (ndr: Portaro was a Portuguese 4WD offroad utility vehicle) made a point of attending with two of the most emblematic jewels from his collection — cars that still occasionally compete on track: a Bizzarrini 5300 GT and a Ford GT40. The Portuguese businessman and collector also used the day to run his Porsche 904/6, as well as an elegant Lotus Elite.
Fellow collector and driver Manuel Ferrão was also present with several cars of significant historical value, under the watchful eye of experienced preparer Luís Moutinho. Among them were the Porsche 911 ST “Bomba Verde”, the rare Lotus 62 ex-Gold Leaf Team Lotus — which also passed through the hands of the legendary Ernesto “Néné” Neves — and his Lotus Seven, formerly part of the historic Team Palma.
Still, the true star of the event proved to be a Lancia 037, once campaigned by Portuguese rally champion Carlos Bica. The iconic rally car finally returned to the tarmac, allowing its current owner and driver to gather first impressions behind the wheel following a meticulous restoration carried out in Italy. The result was a special moment, where history, engineering and a passion for motorsport once again converged on the Estoril circuit.
Pre-season running for Historic Endurance
With less than a month to go before the opening round of the season — the 3 Hours of Spa in Belgium — several Iberian Historic Endurance competitors took advantage of this opportunity to get back to work after a long and demanding winter, making the most of the return of sunny conditions to southern Europe.
Among them, Bruno Duarte and Filipe Jesus used the track time to fine-tune their ever-competitive Porsche 911 3.0 RS, which will soon head to the Ardennes, while Ernesto Vieira also put mileage on his Shelby Mustang GT350. The racing programme for the Shelby Mustang GT350R Team is yet to be confirmed, but is expected to focus on some of the leading historic racing events across the Iberian Peninsula.
From the Curated Garage pits, several cars took to the Portuguese circuit, including the Ford Capri RS of Pablo and José Antonio Rueda, the Lotus Elan of P-Å Forsvall, and the Alfa Romeo GTAm of Ebsen Bjorn — three machines that have written many chapters in the history of Race Ready’s premier historic racing series.
However, the main focus of attention was a “new” Porsche 911 3.0 RS, which Gerardo Garcia is set to debut in competition this season.
Among the several cars fielded by Garagem João Gomes at the event were the Porsche 911 2.5 ST of Piero and Guilhermo dal Maso — with which the father-and-son pairing won the “1000 km Trophy” last year — as they prepared for their trip to the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, and the Porsche 911 SWB of Nuno Nunes, a car that looks set to continue delivering strong results for the driver in the GDS class.
Here too, another car drew attention for its novelty factor: a Porsche 911 2.7 RS that Brazilian driver Eduardo Reis will campaign this season, using the test to get properly acquainted with the car.
Another familiar face at such events, Rui Garcia, made the most of the clean track time and minimal interruptions to put mileage on his Fiat 124 Sport Coupé, now run with support from RP Motorsport.
Preparers RP Motorsport, led by Ricardo Pereira, also brought two new additions to the event. Filipe Carvalho debuted a Ford Escort RS2000 MkII, which he will share with António Carmona in the second half of this year’s Historic Endurance season, while Filipe Martins switched from his Group 1 Ford Escort to a Datsun 240Z. The striking Japanese machine boasts national pedigree, having previously competed in Portugal in rallying with Carlos Peres and José Montes, before being sold to Madeira, where it also took part in circuit racing.
New Additions to Carrera 80
With two rounds in Portugal and two in Spain this season, Carrera 80 promises to bring some of the Touring and Grand Touring cars that defined motorsport between 1976 and the late 1990s back to the Iberian circuits. At the Estoril Exclusive Test Day, two former race winners were also in attendance: the Group A-spec BMW M3 E30 driven by Paulo Lima and Bruno Lima, and the Porsche 968 CS, a former Spanish trophy car, piloted by Lucas González and Jorge López.
However, several other cars also drew attention for their novelty factor. Luís Tojeiro and José Fontán, two Galician drivers previously seen in Historic Endurance, were at the wheel of a Porsche 968 run by Garagem João Gomes.
Still within the Stuttgart marque, and also prepared by José Carvalhosa’s team, António Reis carried out a shakedown of his red-painted Porsche 924.
Also hailing from Spain, more specifically the Cantabria region, the Naturhouse Raid Team — usually more accustomed to off-road events — brought their new BMW M3 E36. This allowed their regular drivers, Kilian Revuelta and “Guss Caro”, to put in some very competitive laps with a car set to become a favourite on the Spanish circuits.
Meanwhile, Sérgio Soares brought out his BMW 2002, a car notable for being powered by a BMW M10 engine — one of the most iconic powerplants in the history of the Bavarian marque — with the potential to make its Carrera 80 debut this year.
